Addressing dereliction and devaluation in urban tourism : the case of Cork, Ireland

Purpose -- This paper aims to focus on increasingly entrepreneurial approaches to urban governance in the country’s second city Cork, where neoliberal strategy has driven uneven spatial development. Design/methodology/approach -- This paper combines insights from literature review with new knowledge derived from interviews with key informants in the city. Findings -- Post-colonial themes provoke a consideration of how uneven power dynamics stifle social innovation in the built environment. Research limitations/implications --Assembled narratives expose opaque aspects of governance, ownership and participation, presenting opportunities for rethinking urban vacancy through placemaking. Practical implications -- These draw on nuanced models for tourism as a platform for a broader discourse on rights to the city. Social implications -- A century after independence, Ireland is recast as a leading small European economy, away from historical framings of a rural economic backwater of the British Empire. Originality/value -- The model of success is based on a basket of targeted investment policies and somewhat dubious indicators for growt